The Trick Behind Ramen

Ren looked at me and said,

“Earlier, you said your hand ‘wouldn’t stop,’ right, Rinsir-san? Of course it wouldn’t. Your hand was being moved by your ‘subconscious’!”

At those unexpected words, I stared down at my own hand.

“My hand was… being moved by my ‘subconscious’…?”

Ren nodded, tapping his temple lightly with a fingertip as he spoke.

“Yeah, exactly. Spiciness isn’t a taste—it’s a kind of pain. When the brain feels pain, it has a mechanism that releases pleasure-inducing chemicals called ‘endorphins’ to ease the suffering. If that happens over and over, the brain gets hooked on the stimulation and makes you repeat the same behavior.”

Brad spoke while drinking his lassi.

“Even so, the Jiro-style ramen we had before wasn’t spicy in the slightest, was it?”

“Spiciness isn’t the only kind of ‘stimulation.’ For example, if you put a huge amount of salt in your mouth, you’d think, ‘Whoa, that’s salty!’ and find it unpleasant, right? That gets classified as pain too.”

Ouri tilted his head.

“But y’know, the strong flavor of that Jiro-style ramen surprised me at first, sure, but it wasn’t painful from start to finish like the ultra-spicy stuff.”

“That’s because the pork fat and sweetness of the vegetables gradually soften the stimulation while you eat. But the instant it enters your mouth, that intense saltiness hits your tongue and gives your brain an almost painful level of distress. Your brain starts seeking out the stimulation so it can feel good, and that makes your hand keep moving!”

Ren’s explanation was difficult to believe at first, yet in reality my hand truly had refused to stop eating the ramen, almost as if something were forcing me.

In other words, was it like there was another unknown ‘someone’ inside me…?

I stared fixedly at my hand.

“H-how extraordinary…! To think something like that had been happening inside my own head…”

Maria timidly peered into the bowl, where traces of crimson broth still remained.

“So this ramen had a mechanism like hypnosis built into it… That’s why I got so completely absorbed in eating it! Scaaary!”

Ren replied,

“There’s nothing to be scared of. Endorphins come out when you soak in a hot bath, pet an animal, take deep breaths, or even just bask in the sunlight. All of those make you think, ‘Ahh, that feels nice,’ right? And even foods you normally eat… things like bacon, fried chicken, or potato chips—greasy, strongly flavored foods like those make your brain think they’re delicious through the same kind of mechanism.”

“Ohh! So when you sit in the sunshine and think, ‘This feels nice,’ it’s because those ‘endorphins’ are coming out!”

“You could say ramen itself is basically that kind of food. It’s oily, smooth on the tongue, salty, and everyone gets hooked on it… So, Maria, after hearing all that, do you hate ramen now?”

Maria smiled and shook her head.

“Nope, not at aaall! I love ramen!”

Ren laughed along with her.

“Right? You eat it, it tastes good, and it feels good… Someone just came along afterward and attached explanations to those feelings of ‘fun’ and ‘pleasure.’ So there’s nothing scary about it.”

Brad let out a thoughtful groan.

“To think the brain seeks stimulation and moves your hand on its own… There really are still so many things in the world of cooking that I know nothing about!”

“Ultra-spicy ramen is a popular genre with plenty of hardcore, junk-food-loving fans. I think you’ve all experienced its appeal and mechanism firsthand now. That said, it isn’t as simple as making something spicy and expecting customers to love it. Even if it’s hot, it still has to taste good.”

At that, I clapped my hands together.

“That’s right! May I ask one question about the flavor? About the broth…”

“What is it?”

“This broth had an intense richness and savoriness strong enough to stand up to all that heat. It wasn’t soy sauce, and it wasn’t salt either. Were you using some other kind of seasoning?”

Ouri nodded at my words.

“Yeah! The pork had that same flavor too!”

Brad tasted the crimson broth remaining in his bowl, the portion he ultimately had not been able to finish.

“You’re right! Beyond the heat, there’s a distinctive, deep sweetness to it… If I had to compare it to something, maybe it’s a little like nuts?”

Ren puffed out his chest more proudly than ever, folded his arms, and raised his chin.

“I’m glad you asked! The base seasoning for this ultra-spicy broth is something called ‘miso’!”

With that, he confidently placed a container on the counter.

Inside was a light-brown paste with moderate thickness and firmness, giving off a strong fermented aroma… It was yellower than mud, finer-grained than peanut paste, and, well, if I had to describe its appearance as simply as possible, it looked almost exactly like poo—… ah, no.

I shall refrain from saying it!

One must never discriminate against food based on appearance. Besides, thinking something like that immediately after eating it would hardly improve my mood.

And in the first place, everyone knew that the more grotesque a food looked, the more delicious it tended to be, did they not!?